Luna and Elga, Tiltue, and then Suzaku and Wil.
I’ve met people of other races on this island too, but everyone has treated me favorably.
Maybe that’s why I’m so optimistic, and why I have the impression that they won’t be offended by anything that’s not actually serious.
We walk through the bottom of the precipice that the darkness great spirit calls home, and eventually reach a wide open area.
We see a magnificent temple that seems out of place here at the bottom of the precipice, and a young woman wearing a black dress standing by the entrance.
“I-is that…”
Her hair that looks as black as pure darkness gently flows down her back, as she stands with her arms crossed and glares without any attempt to hide her irritation.
This is a first since I came to this island. Someone glaring at me right off the bat without hiding her hostility.
“Darkness great…!?”
Before Katima can finish, many dark spears appear above us.
They’re all aimed at us, and I can see ourselves being skewered immediately if we move a centimeter.
“Aah… K-Katima said so! That Katima didn’t expect anything from Arata!”
“…Isn’t that pretty mean?”
“It’s not! The darkness great spirit is upset, so apologize right away!”
“If I’m going to apologize, I have to get a little closer…”
We’re still pretty far from the temple.
She’d probably hear me if I yelled from here, but I get the feeling that would be a bad move.
“All right Arata. First take off everything you’re wearing to show you’re not resisting.”
“You want me to get naked here…? I feel like that’ll really be picking a fight.”
I’m sure she doesn’t want to see me naked, and I can’t imagine her reacting in any other way than to skewer me for being a pervert.
“Well… Can I hear why you came all the way here and even broke through my barrier?”
“…!?”
Despite the distance, I can hear a voice echoing directly inside my brain.
Katima looks surprised, so I guess she can hear it too.
“If you are here for a fight, you will get one… But I am too busy dealing with fools, so it will be over quickly.”
I hear the sound of something cutting through the wind, as three black spears fly towards me.
I’m about to deflect them, but then I notice that their trajectory means they won’t hit me, so I stand still as they pierce the ground near my feet.
“You saw them?”
“Hum… Yes.”
“I see…”
Another spear comes, this time aiming at Katima next to me. And this time it really is going to hit, so I grab it.
“…Eh?”
Katima looks dumbfounded, as from her point of view, a spear suddenly appeared in front of her.
She’s a strong alfar, but she still falls short compared to the strongest races of this island.
“That would’ve hit Katima if I didn’t grab it.”
“Yes. But you stopped it, so it’s fine, correct?”
“Wrong.”
And then, the spears hanging in the air all pour down.
They’re almost like rain, and as I smack them down with my fists one after the other, dull noises echo around us.
The smashed black spears hit the ground, which is creepily eroded in black.
“We’re not here to fight, so…”
I feel magic energy from the ground, and before something can happen, I plant my feet on the ground and brace myself.
The earth trembles, magic energy is dispersed, and I hear a loud sound far away, like a volcano erupted.
…It’s not my fault, is it?
“Arata…”
“No. I think it wasn’t.”
“Katima decided in her heart to not believe you anymore.”
Why did Katima’s trust in me consistently go down on the way here?
“…And you, the alfar girl?”
“W-will you listen to me?”
My vision gets blurry for a moment, and suddenly, the darkness great spirit is standing right in front of me.
Katima is next to me, and the temple is a lot closer.
“I don’t want to waste any more time, so say what is it that you need.”
I guess she teleported us here instantly.
I remember Reina telling me that teleportation magic was something in the realm of gods, and not something for humans to use. The darkness great spirit really is at the top of this island.
“H-hum, darkness great spirit! Katima’s name is Katima!”
“I see… And?”
“Recently, the spirits that always look after us disappeared, and we were worried…”
“So we came to see what happened.”
I finish Katima’s sentence, who is cowering at the grave face of the darkness great spirit.
Two of the great spirits that watch over them disappeared, and because of that, the monsters around them have started preying on alfar.
We wondered if they were facing trouble so serious that even great spirits couldn’t resolve.
It looks like the darkness great spirit is listening, so we explain everything slowly, and her grave face gradually loosens.
I think she understands that we’re not her enemies.
“Anyway, I think I have a good grasp on your situation. The fire and earth… They are here.”
“…!? Really!?”
Katima says, sounding relieved by the darkness great spirit’s words.
I’m glad we don’t have to look around anymore too, but judging by the expression on the darkness great spirit’s face, it looks like there’s trouble.
“Yes… But what is the matter?”
“Is there a problem?”
“It will be easier for you to just see. Come.”
She then goes inside without waiting for a response.
“I can sense trouble…”
“But Arata, if the darkness great spirit told us to follow her, we have to go.”
“Yes, I guess we do.”
I tell myself there’s nothing else we can do, and we enter the temple of the darkness great spirit.
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